M’hamid, where the valley dies in a « plain of the gazelles » is the last oasis along the Draa river, a little administrative centre, and a border post, before the volcanic Guir Hamada and the Saharan dunes that starts here, with the Mesouria dunes, 8 km southwards. In M’hamid, the river Drâa goes under the sand, and continues its way to the Atlantic coast, underground, to appear again, 800 km westwards, in the rainy years.

Here, you will see “Blue Men”, nomads and camel drivers of Berber origin, who come to the souq to trade rugs and craftwork again basic goods like oil, salt and flour. In former times, the city was a big caravan centre, and you can still visit the ruins of its Ksar, that reminds its past splendour. Here, in the XVI° century, Ahmed El Mansour started its raid, and went to conquer Timbuktu with his warriors, camels, and all his tribe. But the site is even older, and was occupied in the times when Sahara was not yet a desert. Near to M’hamid is one of the oldest proto-historic necropolis of North Africa, Foum-Rjani. It can be reached off-road only, but its thousands of tombs under tumuli are worth the trip.

M’hamid itself offers few other attractions, but the camel tours. It is for example possible to rally Merzouga in two weeks.

And 45 km southwards lay the huge dunes of Chigaga